White Mountains and the Mogollon Rim
August 6 to August 19, 2020
Beachfront property, Arizona style. Saw this camping spot when we biked the Apache Railroad Trail a year ago. Took some doing to get there, but then we had a wonderful spot on the edge of White Mountain Reservoir.
Elio enjoys a sunset a walk in the meadow.
These flat, glassy alpine lakes are just puddles now, but we enjoyed watching a dozen Great Blue Herons, 40+ ravens roosting in the trees behind us, and countless Canada Geese.
For our first hike, we bushwhacked to the top of Poll Knoll, the nearest mountain.
As a Tucson in this monsoonless summer, I would not dare complain about the rain. Daily storms were enough to bring out this roadside crop of shaggy mane mushrooms.
We nap, surf the internet and read while we wait for the storms to pass. It was late in the day it finally stopped raining long enough for a short hike, not on the Very Popular Trail, where there are 20 cars at the TH, even on a rainy day, but a stone’s throw away, where it was just the two of us.
A stone dam on the West Fork Little Colorado River.
It was a lush environment, with a wealth of summer wildflowers, includiing this Shrubby Cinquefoil.
Wild raspberries
Richardson's Geranium
American Bistort.
Sunday's hike was a dreamy post-storm meander from bubbling spring to bubbling spring in a chain of broad alpine meadows.
Western Bluebirds are one of the dominant species here.
A variety of Blue-Eyed Grass.
West Baldy Trail
So as much as I have come to love our off-trail adventures, I have to admit the Very Popular Trail lived up to its reputation. Cushy packed earth tread, moderate grade, spectacular rock formations and jaw-dropping views.
I would call this little fellow a chipmunk, but according to iNaturalist, it's a Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel. They are everywhere in the White Mountains!
We are so accustomed to northern Arizona's vast Ponderosa Pine forest, but in this part of the state, it's a mixture of Douglass Fir and Engelmann Spruce. Some of the firs are enormous. Dennis estimated this age of this fallen giant and 350-400 years.
Spectacular lumpy, liquid rock formations reminiscent of the Chiricahuas.
We must be acclimating, because we easily managed 7 miles RT with a 1000’ elevation gain starting at 9400’.
10,200’ and we can still breathe!
We turned back at a promontory at an elevation of 10,400'.
The first few miles of this hike pass through a chain of sweeping alpine meadows, and the East Fork Little Colorado winds through it, curlier than a pig’s tail.
Harebells are everywhere here but just because they are common doesn’t mean they aren’t gorgeous.
Parry's Gentian.
If you go: Be aware that even on a Monday morning, the parking lot was full.
Dog tired after our hike, we wandered down a rough forest road and stumbled onto a fantastic campsite, on a ridge overlooking a vast alpine meadow with a tiny lake shimmering in the distance.
As the dominant cat, Madeleine likes to be in the driver's seat.
A pair of Yellow-Headed Blackbirds at tiny Crescent Lake, engaged in animated conversation.
"Look at me when I talk to you!"
Bear Canyon Lake
With the forecast calling for several consecutive days with a probability of precipitation greater than 40%, we decided to take a side trip to the warmer, drier Mogollon Rim. Just before departure, we discovered that there was room under the bed for our inflatable kayak, so we were itching to try it out. We generally steer clear of the crowded Rim lakes, but we hoped that we could avoid the crowds by visiting during the week and aiming for a lake with no drive-up access. The dispersed campsites along the road to Bear Canyon Lake were as bad as any on the Rim, stripped of vegetation and covered in trash, and there was no shortage of young men tearing up and down the road in their ATVs, kicking up as much as dust as possible. We backpacked the boat a quarter mile down a steep and badly worn trail, and managed to find a relatively quiet spot along the shore to inflate it and paddle away. And once clear of the shore, we had the lake more or less to ourselves.
The Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Sevylor Tahiti.
At the far end of the lake, we found a small peninsula and a sandy beach.
Meandering up one of the two small creeks that feed Bear Canyon Lake. It's hard to believe there is enough water rolling north off the Rim to fill a lake 50 feet deep!
On the far side of the lake, an osprey screamed overhead, and then we spied the nest in a tall, dead tree, with at least two inhabitants.
The following day, we explored an alternate acces, with fewer yahoos and a longer hike. For a moment, I felt like I was bathing in one of the boreal lakes of far-away Québec.
The price of admission was a bone-jarring backroad where a large stone became wedged between Dyna's rear tires. Dennis and I wailed on it with an axe and hammer for an hour. Sparks flew, but the stone was unmoved.Then who should wander by but Eb Eberlein, who provided a tow strap that Dennis wrapped around the rock and onto, using the weight of the vehicle to eject the rock.
And there it is, bruised and blackened by the encounter.
A watery sunset on the Rim.
Luna Lake
Daytime temperatures pushing 90 degrees sent us dashing back to the White Mountains, this time aiming for Alpine and a possible ascent of Escudilla Mountain. Late in the afternoon, we started up the access road, searching in vain for an empty campsite. About three miles in, the road began climbing very steeply. When we felt Dyna hesitate, we looked for a spot to turn around. And once again, we were reminded that she is not a 4WD high clearance vehicle, and even a slight tilt can leave us tottering on two wheels.
We crept back downhill and took refuge at the Luna Lake Campground. Our friend Curtiss S. created this wonderful sketch to commemorate the event.
Luna Lake is an alpine lake that sits at 7890 feet. It is very shallow, only about 8' deep on average, and like many lakes in this area, it is subject to dense a lgal blooms during the summer. But the marshy area along the shore is rich in summer wildflowers and wildlife.
Upright Prairie Coneflower.
Great Blue Heron
Nodding Onion.
Alpine Thistle.
Today’s planned hike was the Luna Lake Trail, an 8-mile loop along a ridge overlooking the confluence of the San Francisco River and Stone Creek. But the trail has been discovered by ATVs so of course it is totally trashed. After making a few roadway "improvements", we had to head downhill in a hurry.
Streamside siesta. Just below Luna Lake, the San Francisco tumbles into a surprisingly steep and narrow canyon.
Ended up bushwhacking down to the tiny but wickedly fast-flowing San Francisco, then scrambling up an unexpectedly steep cliff to make our way back out.
Cardinal Catchfly.
Just south of Alpine we were wowed by an enormous herd of elk, more than 100 animals, just chilling at the sewage treatment ponds.
Thompson Trail
We returned to our favorite campsite on a ridge south of Greer. The "neighbors" are starting to recognize as members of this makeshift community. On the plus side, they always yield to oncoming RVs. Down side, there is quite a lot of gunfire.
The next morning we set out for the Thompson Trail, which runs along the lovely West Fork Black River.
The mosquitoes were ferocious! I wore a headnet with long pants and a long-sleeved shirt all day and they still ate me alive.
New Mexican Checkermallow.
Alkali Marsh Aster.
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Melancholy Thistle.
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Here's the junction with the Thompson Trail and the former White Mountain Railroad. Unfortunately, this ambitious rails-to-trails project has been abandoned, and is nearly obliterated by deadfall.
At the confluence with the East Fork Black River.
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It was a cloudy day so the light was flat. But here you can see the marshy trail along the West Fork Black River, and on the right, the roadbed for the former White Mountain Scenic Railroad.
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Well I would have called it a "chipmunk", but iNaturalist says it's a Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel". So fancy!
A refreshing dip at the trailhead took away some of the sting.
Why we bought you an RV. So we could come home and find you enjoying your new cat pillow on the dash.